Divergent Catalysts
by Rosaroma
Summary: Something's off at the Cullen House. Bella's not quite the same since her birthday. Add in the obliterated front door of Bella's house. Perhaps some angry Edward and a little 'what is going on with Jasper'
1. Arbitrary Rambling

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters.**

_Jaspers POV  
><em>  
>Something strange has been going on in the Cullen house. Not to say it was ever <em>normal<em>, but things have been quiet, very quiet. Bella has been around less and less, to the point where I'm lying here thinking I'm not sure when I saw her last. The family feelings have been saying I'm too unstable around her. I mean the thing that happened at her birthday, it was terrible, I never meant..  
>Sighing I roll over on the sofa, a movement I've been becoming familiar with.<p>

I hear Alice coming and lay still for her inquisition. 'How are you feeling?' she asks flitting down to my side. 'Strange,' I say rubbing at my temples once again to wade off the dizzy spells her high pitched voice has been giving me.

'You do look strange,' she says running her hand along my head, 'and your temperatures still rising.' Looking sad and far off, she disappears to find Carlisle.  
>I resent whatever is happening to my body. You'd think dying would be enough to wade off sickness, of <em>any<em> degree. Pushing off the blanket that's been suffocating me I place my feet on the cold marble floor. I need to see her.

Outside the Swan house I wince at the way Bella handles everything with her injured arm. Rain is starting to fall from the sky in tiny bursts and I shiver momentarily. Charlie enters the kitchen and I pull myself against the wall, no urge to start a shoot out so early in the morning. She lays the food down gently and favours her arm as she pulls her jacket on. I hear her call goodbye. As soon as she's within reach I pull her out of sight, sensing a mix of surprise and confusion. Realising the close proximity I'd accidentally forced I shoot back a few metres into the trees. 'Bella,' I steady my voice as I observe her through the pine leaves.

'I need to..can you come with me?' my awkwardly formal voice trips over itself to ask her the question. She glances at the house and pulls her coat closed.

'Y-yes,' Bella seems unsure if her feet will work as she stumbles towards me, blushing at her lack of coordination. Gesturing the direction, we walk until we're far enough away from the house.

'Bella, I wanted to apologise,' the wind blows in between us and I feel tense.  
>I judge her expression as she looks at me, a small smile tugs at her lips.<br>'It's fine,' she says the wind blowing the pressure off my shoulders. 'I'm fine,' she says. 'You know...that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me.'

I smirk and try to think back over our meetings, but the general consensus was one of blood driven distraction, maybe she's right. Though standing here now I see a clear, quirky Bella. Clumsy, and forgiving me for nearly taking her life. Seeing black spots in front of my vision I sway a bit misstepping on the forest ground. Her hands find mine steadying me, her whole body invading the controlled space around me. Her emotions flood into mine and yet none of them speak fear. Her eyes fix on mine, 'Jasper, what's wrong?' just as I hear a familiar footfall.

Feeling a rough tug on my arm I fall back into the tree causing the spots to multiply. I scrunch my eyes closed trying to relieve the pain in my head. Bella yelps as I'm thrown backwards and I hear Edward between us, 'I'm sorry Bella, we didn't know he'd left.'

Her softs hands being taken from mine make sensations run up my arms. Glaring up I wait for him to turn, 'I wasn't going to hurt her.' He turns at this and looks down at me reading my thoughts.  
>'Jasper we know your sorry, but you can't be around Bella.' He avoids my face, 'We need her safe.'<br>Bella slaps him against the chest, 'Edward!' she says through gritted teeth coming round to my side of him. 'Jasper wasn't going to hurt me. He wouldn't have come here if he thought he would.' She waves her arms around animatedly as she speaks.

I stare at those dark brown eyes that trust me and wonder if I could stand to that. I had hurt her before, indirectly and unintentionally I had been the catalyst. Coming here had been a spontaneous decision, I hadn't thought it through. Feeling uncertain, nauseated and now like I might be losing my mind, I stand up as fast as I can. She instinctively reaches to steady me and Edward pulls us apart, I grab his arm to stop him. He acts too quickly, doesn't think about how fragile she is.

He clenches his hand around my wrist and warns me not to make this into something.  
>'I'm not letting you near her,' he presses his fingers into my arm and the pain seethes up to my neck. Noticing the glint of pain in my eyes he pulls his hand away in confusion and I stagger back clutching the place his fingers have indented. My breath comes short and Bella is by my side in an instant pulling my hand away to inspect the damage. Her eyes say it all, the bruises are enormous, lacing up my arm and appearing in groups by the second. I cry out at the unusual feeling of pain that's causing me to hold my breath.<p>

'Edward, I need to fix this. So can you go?' she says not looking up at him. I can feel her worry course over me as she carefully holds my arm.  
>Edward steps towards her back but rethinking it looks at me. The warning in his eyes says it all.<br>Before he can try and argue a pointless battle he runs, probably not far enough to be unable to stop me killing her. But whatever pull her blood had had before, the blinding pain now was keeping me well out of those thoughts.

**AN: reviews tell me you want more ^^ who to get rid of first?**


	2. Unlikely Bears

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters, how sad.  
><strong>

_Jasper has just been injured by Edward._

Fiddling with the phone cord I can only guess she's waiting for Carlisle to pick up. 'Hello,' I hear his voice come through with the echo of the hospital around him.

'Hi Carlisle, It's Bella.' She looks at me and opens her mouth to try to word this. 'I need you to come to my house..with a first aid kit.' Carlisle agrees to be right over, no questions travelling down the phone. She paces around the room wishing she knew what to do to help. Arriving in illegal moments still in his doctors uniform Bella nearly has a heart attack when he barrels straight through the door.

'Sorry Bella, I erred on the side of speed,' he looks her up and down and shakes his head not noticing any bleeding, 'I don't understand.'  
>She flits her eyes to me and to my arm and I observe her expressions as Carlisle comes to my side. 'Don't move,' he says holding it still and running his fingers up and down my arm to examine it. 'Bella, do you have any ice?' he says not looking to her but focusing entirely on the extensive bruise up my arm. 'In the kitchen,' she says also not able to tear her eyes away.<p>

As Carlisle disappears to the kitchen she meets my gaze, I can feel guilt and sympathy come off her. 'It's not your fault,' I say looking out the broken front door, still awkward around her. She nods mutely but her fingers pull at her sleeves as she comes closer. I tense not used to her approaching me but then Carlisle returns.

Gently applying a bandage from my wrist to the elbow he loops the ends around my neck to support it. Putting wrapped ice inside the sling he turns to Bella.

'Thank you for calling me,' he sounds truly grateful and I see the hint of a blush, but before he can say anything else theres the sound of Charlie pulling into the drive. All our eyes dart to the door and before we can formulate the sentence Carlisle leaves. So when Charlie stumbles in through the door brandishing his gun and looking awed at the damage he sees me leap dizzily out of the chair and Bella standing stock still.

'What..happened?' he says shaking his head and looking from my arm to Bells and back to the splintered door frame. Bella's mouth opens and closes and I can see she's trying real hard to think of something believable. Suddenly immensely intimidated by Bella's father I realise I haven't volunteered anything. 'A bear,' I blurt out. Charlie's head whips round to Bella, 'A bear, came and smashed our front door?' he says.

She nods shaking her head at the world, 'It was unbelievable. I guess it was hungry and saw us talking from the forest, because it came at us.' Charlie was nodding his head as she described the scene. She shoots a grateful look in my direction, 'Jasper pushed me out of the way and it swiped his arm.' Releasing a stressed breath she turns back to her father.

He grabs a shot gun off the wall, 'Are you okay though Bells, it didn't hurt you at all?'  
>'I'm fine dad, Jasper totally saved me.' Charlie grunts appreciation, and pulls Bella into a hug. I felt an intruder on a moment that I guessed was rare. They were both reserved around each other and yet there was obvious affection. Breaking the moment he got his cruiser keys back out.<p>

'How in the hell did you get it to leave?' he muttered as he exited back through the door. Suddenly thinking of something he shouted back through, 'You two better go somewhere safe or at least stay upstairs until I can get this door fixed.'

Bella sank onto the sofa beside me as the car pulled away. Her face read pure relief. I lean back into the cushions feeling fatigued and not used to the mind numbing pain I'm experiencing. Her relief flooding into me is calming though.  
>'Jasper what's happening to you?' Bella said hesitantly gesturing to rest the back of her hand on my forehead. Nodding that she could, her cold skin against mine says enough, 'Human?' she asks bewildered.<p>

I shrugged, 'Not quite, not yet,' I say wishing I could give an explanation. 'I've been getting sick, it's Carlisle's only guess.'

She nods seeming to realise the issue. Grabbing her keys and going to stand I stop her, 'Your arm, can I see it?' I ask resting my hand on hers but not moving so as not to scare her.  
>'Sure,' she offers her arm out and I slide my hand up the sleeve to above her elbow, feeling entirely odd to be interacting with the girl I have kept a permanent distance from. The beginning dots of recently removed stitches reveal themselves and a raised line of separation, I pray it didn't it hurt as bad as it looks.<p>

'Matching injuries,' she said to try and lighten the mood. I regard my arm and smile, such a strange girl. Considering who had caused her injury I look into her eyes, 'I don't blame you,' she says being more perceptive than I'd have guessed. Her brown eyes dance in her face as she avoids my direct gaze and looks at my hand on her arm.

I hear a growling sound behind my head and turn just as Bella notices. 'Jacob!' she says jumping off the sofa and advancing on her friend.  
>'How have you been stranger?' he asks as she accepts a hug from him, I notice that he avoids her injured arm entirely. Gingerly but wholly enveloping her in his arms. I'm intrigued by their easy affection and wonder what's bothering me.<p>

****AN: Some assumption is used that while Bella hasn't been at the Cullen's she has however been at the Reservation.  
><strong>- birthday distractions slowed my update, that or a bear!**


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